Friends and Enemies
by Mia Vaan
Summary: There is a fine line between a friend and an enemy. The gang realize this when they discover another character from Turbo Time survived, and learn something about their greatest enemy. Post-movie.
1. Prologue: Enemies and Glitches

OK, another new story.

_Wreck-It Ralph_ was awesome. Seriously, Disney really surprised me with this gem. And of course, like with a lot of films I enjoy, it gave me a story idea.

I really don't know where this one came from. It just...came to me, and I had to write it down. I'm just going with it. *shrugs*

I hope people like it!

Disclaimer: Don't own _Wreck-It Ralph_.

* * *

It is an unwritten rule that if a character spends long enough living and working in a game that is not their own, they become formally adopted into that game, and they can regenerate as if they had been programmed into it from word go.

For this reason, Turbo regenerated in _Sugar Rush_, but due to the mutation he had suffered at the hands of the bugs from _Hero's Duty_, something went wrong.

The racer's eyes opened, and above him, he saw a huge crater which had been left in Diet Cola Mountain after the earlier incident. He sat himself up and gave his head a rub; there was no one around from what he could see or hear, but his eyes caught sight of the familiar items which he recognized as belonging to Vanellope.

_That little glitch! She ruined everything!_ He got to his feet and was about to stalk over to them, but then suddenly, his body began to shake and he suddenly glitched. Looking at his hands, he realized he had turned into his King Candy persona, only without the crown. After calming down from his anger, he glitched back into his original form.

He remained frozen for a moment, just staring at his hands, before hurrying over to the Diet Cola Hot Springs in the centre of the Mountain. He stared at his reflection for a moment – his grey face and the familiar white and red helmet – before putting on his best scowl. He immediately glitched into his King Candy persona, and after taking in deep breaths, he changed back again.

Turbo realized he had become the very thing he had tried to get rid of.

_That little glitch and her game jumping friend! They did this to me!_ He continued to stare at his reflection, remembering back to his racing days in his own game; the medals, the love, the Turbo Twins...and Lightning. His best friend.

Turbo shook his head to rid himself of the memories of her. _She turned against me. And she paid for it_. His gaze turned towards the entrance, and walking towards it, he passed his hand through. _Just like the glitch and the game jumper will pay_.

Allowing himself to glitch into his King Candy persona, he passed through.


	2. Chapter One: Games and Races

The game in this chapter is based on a fourth game which was going to be included in the film, but was cut out early on.

Uploaded this chapter because the prologue was too short. Enjoy!

* * *

"Come on, Ralph! We're gonna be late!"

"I'm coming, you little grease monkey." Ralph could only smile at Vanellope's enthusiasm as she dragged him through Game Central Station towards a game known as _Simultaneous Crime Family_ – or SCF for short.

There weren't any other racing games in the arcade, but when the little girl had discovered that SCF had street racing, she had been desperate to check it out. And when she had given him the puppy dog eyes, he hadn't been able to resist taking her.

With Vanellope wearing her crown upon her head and her pink princess dress, she and Ralph made her way over to the train that would take them into the game. As they passed out of the station a buzzer sounded, and Ralph rolled his eyes as the Surge Protector appeared. _Why do I always get stopped?_

"Name?" Surge Protector then looked down and noticed Vanellope. "Oh, sorry, President Von Schweetz. Proceed." Vanellope passed him with a triumphant grin while the Surge turned to Ralph. "Name?"

"You know my name."

"Excuse me, Mr. Surge Protector, sir?" Vanellope spoke up, and the Surge turned back to her. "He's with me."

"Sorry again, Miss President." The Surge stepped aside. "Proceed."

Ralph passed him, not bothering to hide his glare as he did. "Why am I always getting stopped? It's not because I'm a bad guy; it doesn't happen to any of the _other_ bad guys. What is it about _me?_"

"Hobo's always get stopped at security."

"Very funny."

The climbed onto the train at the back of the coaches, and as soon as they had, it began moving through the tunnels towards the game. The train was pretty busy, but this didn't surprise Ralph; many characters visited SCF because of its various places to eat and available merchandise not found anywhere else. He had tried to use these things to tempt Felix to come too, but the hero had decided to take his new wife to a beach in one of the other games.

Ralph rolled his eyes with a smile at the thought of the unlikely pair. _That lovesick goofball_. How someone as sweet and timid as Felix could fall for someone as stern and serious as Calhoun, he'd never know.

Unlike him, Vanellope was glad the other two hadn't come. "I want this adventure to be just for us," she explained during the train journey. "We can't have "Mum and Dad" cramping our style with their 'keep safe' monologues; "no racing without your helmet and a gazillion safety pads", and "are you sure that looks safe?" Seriously, they can't talk; Junior's a construction worker – cleaning up _your_ mess, no less – and Sarg's job is to fight man-eating bugs! How can they tell me to be safe if they're in danger all the time?"

Ralph had to chuckle at her words. "Because it's their jobs, and you can't really blame them for being concerned about your safety." It actually amused Ralph how Felix and Calhoun had become parental figures for Vanellope; since no one could have children in the arcade, she had become somewhat of a surrogate daughter to them. It had given him a good laugh when, not very long ago, Vanellope's friend Taffyta had accidentally crashed into her during a race; being that Taffyta was Vanellope's main racing rival, Calhoun had immediately jumped to the conclusion it had been purposely done and almost took the girl's head off. It was also the only time Ralph had ever seen Felix look close to being _angry_.

"Yeah, well racing is _my_ job," said Vanellope.

The train eventually pulled into the station and the passengers disembarked. Ralph hopped out first, then allowed Vanellope to climb into his hand before depositing her upon his shoulder. The two left the small station and followed the rest of the passengers out into the large city which was the setting of the game; there were many skyscrapers towering above them, trash cans were overflowing with litter blowing in the wind, and in the distance, the two could hear the occasional siren, although they both knew this was just the sound effects system.

Vanellope's eyes were wide with wonder as she gazed at her surroundings, and Ralph could only smile at the expression upon her face; it made him feel good whenever he took her to a new game.

The girl then spotted a familiar face. "Look! There's Daughter waiting for us!" She waved at the young, dark haired woman who was waiting a short distance away, and she waved back.

They had met Daughter in _Tapper_, and she had been the one who told them about the street racing in the first place. She was one of the main characters in her game, which also included the rest of her family; Father, Mother, Eldest Son, Youngest Son, Uncle, Aunt and Cousin. The object of the game was to get the crime family to act and function more lawfully in the city they controlled.

Daughter grinned when they reached her. "Glad you two could make it. The street race is right this way." She pointed down an alleyway, which had a stray dog looking through the trash and a sleeping cat on the wall.

Ralph and Vanellope exchanged confused glances. "Down there?" the girl asked. "Don'cha think it's a little...small?"

Realizing their confusion, Daughter laughed. "No, down there is the secret entrance." To show them what she meant, she walked down the alleyway and came to the dead end; she then tapped the wall three times before a secret passage appeared. Ralph and Vanellope's eyes brightened up as they followed. "The police may be off duty now, but it's the only track we've got. After you." The two newcomers entered first and Daughter followed behind them.

When the two entered the area, their mouths dropped. It was larger than they expected, with possibly hundreds of people gathered – most of them from the game, but there were others from various games as well, and Ralph recognized some characters from his Bad-Anon meetings. Many cars were lined up ready to race, and over in another corner refreshments were being served. Everyone was laughing and joking with one another, and up above the crowds, several large screens had been placed up on the tall buildings which the two newcomers guessed were so the audience could watch the racers out on the roads.

Daughter came to stand next to them. "There's my brothers and cousin." She pointed over to where three young men were readying their car for the race. Youngest Son, a young blonde man, was dressed in racing gear and was getting a pep talk from Eldest Son, his brunette brother. Cousin, a ginger man, was working on the car.

But Vanellope wasn't interested in them. "So where's your top racer? The one you told us about?"

"Oh, you mean Lainey Nell?" Daughter pointed at the car next to her brothers. "She's the one with the car that has that yellow thunderbolt on it." Their gazes followed where her finger was pointing. A young blonde woman was making the final adjustments to her car; she wore a yellow and white suit with streaks of lightning on either arm, one going down her front and a small one on her helmet which was resting on the bonnet of the car; the car itself was also yellow and white, with a large thunderbolt painted on the front. The words _The Thunderbolt_ were written across the side.

Vanellope hopped off of Ralph's shoulder and proceeded to jump up and down in excitement. "She's the one! She's the one I wanna race!"

Ralph raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You wanna race her?"

"Yeah!" said Vanellope. "I've beaten everybody else in _my_ game! I need a challenge!"

Daughter chuckled. "It takes a lot of skill and courage to beat Lainey," she explained. "No one's ever done it. Besides, your karts won't work here; you need a car from our game, one you can borrow. And right now, all the cars are taken."

At that moment there was a cry of pain, and the three turned to see Youngest Son pulling his hand out from where he had jammed it in the door. Daughter hurried over to him, and after exchanging looks, Ralph and Vanellope ran after her.

"What happened?" Daughter asked.

Youngest Son groaned in pain as Eldest Son examined his hand. "He's hurt it pretty bad, by the looks of things. Can you hold anything, little bro?"

"I can barely move it," his brother said, groaning in pain.

"Don't you guys have, you know, healing boosts?" asked Ralph.

"Our game is a little more complicated than that," explained Eldest Son. He began to wrap a bandage around his brother's hand. "We have many lives, and our injuries will remain until our lives run out. Then we regenerate healthy again."

"Then why don't we just keep hurting you until you regenerate?" Vanellope suggested.

There was a sudden screech over the loud speaker. "_Racers! Take your positions!_"

Cousin stood up from where he had been putting the finishing touches to the car. "Too late for that. And I can't race; don't know how."

"And I can't; I'm blind in one eye!" said Eldest Son.

That's when Vanellope got an idea. "Why don't I race for you?"

Ralph looked horror struck. _She can't race outside her game! If she crashes, she won't regenerate! Ever!_


	3. Chapter Two: Challenges and Winners

A big thanks to all those who have read and reviewed! Thanks, guys! Here's another chapter.

Reviews and feedback are appreciated.

* * *

Eldest Son just laughed. "You can't race, you little midget! You won't be able to see over the wheel _and_ you won't be able to reach the peddles!"

"I can take care of that," said Cousin. He brought out two large stilts and a booster seat.

Youngest Son rolled his eyes. "You always come prepared, don't you?"

"It's in the job description."

"Wait!" But Ralph was ignored, and before he knew it, Vanellope was in the driver's seat with a helmet on her head, sat upon the booster seat with the stilts attached to her feet. Eldest Son and Cousin began to push the car out onto the track, and Ralph was able to get to Vanellope's window. "You can't race! This isn't your game! If you go down, you don't regenerate! _Ever!_"

"I'll be fine, Admiral Underpants!" Ralph tried to keep following her, hoping he could convince her to forget about the race, but he was stopped by security when he reached the edge of the race track. _I doubt I'd be able to stop her anyway. Racing is in her programming_.

The cars were lined up along the starting line; Lainey's was in the middle, and Vanellope was pushed up alongside her and gave the older girl a wink. But Lainey wasn't looking at her; her eyes were staring straight ahead, focussing on the race. _She's serious about this_, Vanellope thought, before turning to look ahead as well.

"_Start. Your. Engines!_"

The sound of engines echoed along the starting line; Vanellope had a bit of difficulty starting hers up, but she got there. _This is nothing like the candy karts_. In the crowd, Ralph began to bite his lip with worry.

Daughter stepped out onto the track with a cloth in her hand and held it over her head. Above the starting line a light lit up, signifying the beginning of lap one. Daughter then dropped the cloth and the racers were away, barely missing her. The crowd began to cheer as the cars sped away from the starting line, and all eyes turned to the screens as the cars were followed along the roads.

Vanellope found herself in fourth position, which when she thought about it, wasn't a bad position to be in for her first race. Looking ahead of her, she spotted Lainey's car in the lead so put her foot on the peddle in order to catch up.

"_Looks like Lainey Nell has taken the lead, followed by Harvey Jones in second and Mike Gunnadie in third. And here comes a late entry – so I've been told – in fourth; Vanellope Von Schweetz all the way from Sugar Rush!_"

Ralph watched Vanellope's car on the screen. _So far, so good_. There was the sudden sound of a crash, and the camera turned towards the back of the pack to see several cars skidding on the road and crashing into each other.

"_Ooh. Looks like numbers six, seven and eight are out of the race! Good thing those guys can regenerate, otherwise that would've hurt!_"

Hearing these words, Ralph's worry grew. _Come on, kido. Stay safe. Felix and his wife will kill me when they find out. I just hope I'm in my own game when they do_. He heard the car engines approaching, and watched as the five remaining racers passed by. Another light switched on, signifying that the racers were on lap two.

On the roads, Vanellope looked in her mirror to see the guy in fifth position closing in. She kept on moving from side to side in order to block him, but he was persistent, and she jumped a little when his car went into the back of hers. _I gotta shake this guy. He's not giving up_.

She then got an idea; she steered her car out of the way in order to let him pass, and he immediately sped by her. _Ha! Fell for it, you barf breath!_ She then sped up herself, and coming up by the side of him, she knocked the back of his car ever so slightly on the side, causing it to spin out of control. _Works every time_.

Vanellope was able to steer clear as the car collided with a building.

"_A bold move there from Vanellope Von Schweetz!_"

There were cheers among the crowd, and Ralph let out a sigh of relief. She was safe...for now.

Vanellope remained in fourth position for the rest of lap two, and when the third and final light switched after they crossed the start line again, the girl decided to make her move.

She put her foot down and caught up with the three leading racers. _Now would be a good time to glitch. But I can't_. She also knew that now would be a good time for sprinkle spikes or cherry bombs, but she knew those weren't going to appear, either. This wasn't _Sugar Rush_.

Suddenly a cat appeared in the road. Lainey was able to avoid it with ease, but the other two racers panicked and collided into each other, barely missing Vanellope as she raced on by.

"_Too bad that was a black cat; it gave Harvey Jones and Mike Gunnadie some real bad luck! Now it's Lainey Nell vs. Vanellope Von Schweetz!_"

The crowd cheered, and Ralph held his breath. _Don't do anything risky, kid. I __can't afford to lose you_.

Vanellope was gaining on Lainey, but the racer was keeping her cool and didn't seem worried about the younger girl at all. As they turned the final corner and raced down the home-straight, Vanellope put her foot down, and for a moment it looked as though she was going to overtake Lainey...but then the older girl put her foot down as well, and crossed the finish line first.

"_Lainey Nell wins!_"

The crowd gathered around Lainey's car while Ralph hurried over to Vanellope. While Eldest Son and Cousin checked on the car, Ralph opened the door. "Don't you ever do that again! You could have gotten yourself killed off for real!" Then he noticed Vanellope's sad expression, and he softened up. "Oh...I'm sure you'll beat her next time...if "Mum and Dad" ever let you _have_ a next time."

He picked her up and gave her a small hug, before placing her down on the ground. "It's not the first time I lost. But I really wanted to win this one."

A shadow suddenly loomed over her, and Vanellope turned to find Lainey stood before her, giving her a slight smile. "You know, for a kid who's racing for the first time out of their own game, you did all right." She got down to Vanellope's eye level and held out a fist. "Maybe we can have a rematch sometime?"

At first, Vanellope didn't know what to say. Then she brightened up. "You bet!" She bumped the girl's fist with her own. "I'm so gonna whip your butt!"

Lainey chuckled. "I'm sure you will."

* * *

Ralph and Vanellope were making their way through Game Central Station again; it was almost morning, and they needed to get back to their respective games before the arcade opened.

Vanellope was sat upon Ralph's shoulder again. "I can't wait to face her again! Maybe I can convince her to come into my game; then she can witness the full power of the _Glitch!_"

Ralph was about to open his mouth to make his own comment, but was interrupted when they saw an advertisement following Sonic's usual one about dying outside one's own game.

Ralph appeared on the screen. "_You all know bad guys; they're mean, tough, and you don't wanna mess with them._" As he said this, it cut to several images of all the popular bad guys in the arcade. "_But remember; it's their job to be this way in they're own game. Off duty, they're pretty nice guys._" More scenes were shown of the same bad guys laughing and joking with the good guys, as well as helping people out. "_Without a villain in the game, the game loses its purpose. No villain, no game._" It showed Ralph's game; nothing was being wrecked, and Felix was just hopping about on his own with nothing to fix. "_The heroes do a great job, but so do the bad guys. Remember; respect your fellow bad guys. They have feelings too, and without them, it's game over._"

"Awesome commercial, stink brain!" said Vanellope.

Ralph opened his mouth to tell her about how the commercial was made, but was interrupted once again, this time by a shrill cry of, "Ralph!"

The pair looked around until they finally noticed Felix hurrying towards them, his expression far from happy; it was ridden with worry. Ralph knew that his friend tended to worry all the time – it was part of his character when he wasn't on screen – but this worry was different.

Something was wrong.

"Felix? What's wrong, buddy?" he asked.

Felix panted to get his breath back before he spoke. "It's _Sugar Rush_."

This caught Vanellope's attention, and she immediately hopped down from her friend's shoulder. "My game? What's happened to it?"

"Well, it's not the game, but the racers," said Felix. "They've caught a virus."


	4. Chapter Three: Viruses and Horses

Thanks again for all your lovely reviews! Keep them coming! :)

* * *

Ralph, Vanellope and Felix caught the next train into _Sugar Rush_, and when they arrived, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the landscape itself. But it was like Felix said; the game itself was fine, but the racers were _not_.

"We'd finished our time at the beach so thought we'd pop in for a visit," Felix was explaining as they climbed out of the train. "We weren't sure if you were back from SCF yet, but we thought it was worth a try. But when we got here, all the racers were lying by their karts! Sick as dogs, I tell you!"

Vanellope took her crown off and hopped out of her dress; she was back in her usual green hoody and skirt, glitching again. "Then we gotta hurry! My people need us!" She tugged on Ralph's trouser leg to hurry him along.

"I know! But we don't know how to stop a virus," he explained.

Felix thought. "Well, we would have to determine what sort of virus it was first, but we can't do that until we get a good look at it. And most viruses hide themselves."

They soon arrived at the race track, and both Ralph and Vanellope didn't know what to say. All of the racers were lying next to their karts holding their stomachs, some flat on the ground while others had been propped up against the karts. Calhoun – wearing her helmet – was knelt down next to Taffyta, taking her temperature; the young racer's skin was pale, and her eyes were bloodshot.

When the others approached, the soldier immediately stood up and held out her hand. "Don't come any closer. I don't know if this virus is contagious."

"I can go closer. Glitches don't catch viruses." Vanellope hurried closer, but was stopped by Calhoun.

"I mean it, young lady."

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "You're not my mother." She glitched, and reappeared behind Calhoun next to Taffyta. "Taffy, what happened? Did you see the virus?"

Taffyta shook her head. "No. None of us did. We were racing over by Diet Cola Mountain when Candlehead lost control of her kart and ended up going through the secret entrance into your hideout."

"We thought it was rather funny at first," said Rancis, who's kart was next to Taffyta's. "So we laughed." He looked down. "But then she didn't come out again."

"So we went to go see," Creumbelina continued. Her kart was on the other side of Taffyta's. "But when we got inside, it was dark. Darker than usual, anyway. Candlehead was lying on the ground in the centre, so we hurried over to her. By the time we realized she had a virus, it was too late. It spread to all of us."

Looking up, Vanellope searched for Candlehead and spotted her lying apart from the other racers. She looked worse off than the rest of them. Vanellope hurried over to the girl. "Did you see the one who gave the virus to you?"

Candlehead shook her head. "It was dark in there. And then something bit me. When the others came, the virus spread when they touched me. I'm...I'm sorry. I should have realized...I should have kept the others away..."

"It's OK. You didn't know." Vanellope walked back over to Ralph and Felix, who had been joined by Calhoun. "Are you sure there isn't anything we can do? If they can't race, no one can play our game."

The others exchanged glances. "We're sorry. There isn't anything we can do," Ralph explained to her. "A virus is difficult to get rid of."

"I swear, when I catch the ugly punk that did this, I'll shove this gun-" She gestured to her gun, "-right up their-"

"Dear, dear, dear!" Felix interrupted her. "Not in front of the children."

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "I knew what she was going to say. Underpants." Felix just looked away, whistling. It wasn't what his wife was going to say _at all_. "And besides, I'm gonna do a lot worse when I catch this guy! I'm gonna wreck him!"

Had they been in any other situation, Ralph would have smiled at her words. Instead he just placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "We'll get Surge to check out the situation. He might know what to do."

"He'll have to do it tonight, though," said Felix, pointing at his watch. "The arcade will open soon."

Ralph looked at Felix, then back at Vanellope. He knew he had to go back to his own game, but he didn't want to leave Vanellope alone in her game with a virus running loose.

Vanellope seemed to sense his discomfort at the situation, and placed both her little hands on top of his. "I'll be fine, Ralph. It's like I said; glitches don't catch viruses. It can't hurt me."

Ralph was reluctant, but he finally sighed and nodded. "OK. But the moment the arcade closes, I'm coming right back here. OK?"

"Sure thing, stink brain," said Vanellope with a smile.

Ralph smiled back, before he and the other two turned to make their way back to the station, leaving Vanellope with her friends.

They didn't get very far before Calhoun spotted something peculiar. "What in holy hot cakes is that?" She pointed her finger so Ralph and Felix could look too.

Something was moving in amongst the candy buses, with only a bunch of what looked like strawberry laces hanging out. Calhoun held up her gun to fire, but Felix stopped her.

"Wait. We don't know what it is yet."

The disturbance caused the creature to freeze, and very slowly, it stepped out from the bushes, revealing itself to be...a pony.

Ralph just laughed. "You got yourself worked up over a silly little candy pony!"

"It's a horse, actually," Calhoun corrected him. She lowered her gun. "It's a lot taller than a pony and isn't as cute and cuddly as one."

"I'm still calling it a pony," said Ralph. "Candy pony sounds cuter than candy horse."

"Unless it's a candy horsie," said Felix. He and Ralph cracked up laughing, but Calhoun didn't see the joke. Apparently the horse didn't either, for it took off at a trot in the other direction.

"Whatever it is, I don't like it," she said. "It looks suspicious to me. And I've never seen horses or ponies in this game before."

Felix placed a comforting hand on his wife. "Dear, you're still in 'Mama Bear' mode. And Mama Bears tend to see _everything_ as a threat. It's just a pony; it won't hurt anyone."

"She sees _everything_ as a threat even when she isn't playing 'Mum'," said Ralph. "She shot at you, didn't she?"

"And I apologized," said Calhoun.

Ralph just rolled his eyes while Felix looked hesitant.

* * *

"Yes, I will certainly take a look at the game and see what could have caused this virus." Surge Protector was stood in front of the trio at the entrance of Game Central Station. The station itself was mostly empty, apart from the last few stragglers going back to their games before the arcade opened.

Ralph had explained the situation to Surge, and was glad that the protector was going to take a look at the game. "Good. Thanks."

"Although," said Surge, looking at Ralph suspiciously, "I'm surprised this virus got passed me. Were you carrying it by any chance, Mr. Wreck-It?"

With Vanellope already in trouble, the last thing Ralph needed was Surge being...well, Surge. His anger was obvious in his face, and knowing what came next, Felix quickly stepped in. "No, no, he may be a bad guy, but he doesn't carry viruses."

Calhoun stepped forwards as well. "Just get this game checked out, will you?"

"Yes, soldier." Surge saluted before disappearing.

With a smile, Calhoun turned back to the boys. "Security guards admire soldiers. This guy will do anything I ask."

Ralph grunted in annoyance. "That guy drives me insane! Seriously, why does he always stop me all the time?"

"I don't know." Felix shrugged. "Just be thankful he did this time. It's the only way we can contact him."

Ralph had to agree with him on that one.

* * *

The candy pony passed through the wall into Vanellope's hideout, and once he was inside, he glitched...and turned into a brown wooden horse with burning red eyes.

"I was able to infect all the racers," he reported. "Except Vanellope. By the time I got there, she'd taken off her crown and was a glitch again. I couldn't touch her."

"That doesn't matter, Troy." Turbo appeared, glitching into his King Candy persona every five seconds, then glitching back again. "I have something else planned for her."


	5. Chapter Four: Signs and Notes

Thank you again for those who have taken the time to review this story. I really do appreciate it; people telling me _why_ they like the story says so much more than a simple favourite or alert.

Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

When the arcade opened, the kids waiting outside hurried in and spread out, taking a game each and entering their quarters. Moppet girl was among them, and with a handful of quarters, she headed straight for _Sugar Rush_.

Looking to make sure the two bullies who usually hogged the game weren't around, she slipped into the driver's seat. "Sweet!" She entered a quarter and the words 'CHOOSE YOUR RACER' appeared on screen. _It's awesome how they changed it so all of the racers are featured. What was with the 'only nine racers' rule anyway?_

But when she looked at the racers, she noticed that something wasn't right about them. They all looked pale and were crouched over, holding their stomachs. "This game better not have added a dumb message about eating too much candy." The only racer who looked fine was President Vanellope Von Schweetz, so Moppet girl selected her.

The race began, and when Moppet girl put her foot down on the peddle, she found that she was very far ahead of the other racers. She didn't question this at first, but when she entered her second lap of the race, she passed by the other racers and discovered that they were crashing all over the place and going too slowly.

"What's wrong with them?" she wondered aloud. After she finished the race, she entered another quarter into the game and this time, selected another racer. This time she chose Candlehead. "Now I can find out what's going on here."

The race began again, but no matter how hard Moppet girl put her foot down, the kart on screen wouldn't go fast. Only slow, and the steering was all over the place. The other racers around her were in the same situation – apart from Vanellope, who had sped on ahead.

But then, what was strange, was that when Vanellope entered her second lap, she stopped her kart and got out to help the other racers.

Something was definitely wrong with the game.

"Mr. Litwak!" the girl called.

The older man hurried over to her and crouched down so he was eye level with the girl. "What seems to be the problem, sweetheart? Were those boys picking on you again?"

Moppet girl shook her head. "No. There's something wrong with this game. All the racers other than Vanellope look sick, and their karts won't drive properly. I don't know what's wrong."

Mr. Litwak took a look at it. "Hmm. This is peculiar. Although this is a peculiar game; throughout all the years I've had it, it keeps changing on its own. First Vanellope was a princess, then there was a guy named King Candy, and now Vanellope is back again, but is a President." He stood up and signalled for the girl to do the same. After she did, the old man gave the game a good kick.

Staring at the screen, Moppet girl could have sworn that the characters reacted to the game being kicked. "They felt you kick it. Did you see that? Maybe they know what's going on?"

But Mr. Litwak only chuckled. "Don't be silly. Video game characters aren't real like you or me. They don't have our emotions or the ability to think for themselves. Like my nanna. They're just programs."

He took out an 'Out of Order' sign and stuck it on the screen of the game.

* * *

Inside the game, Vanellope had been helping Taffy to her feet when Candlehead cried out, "Look!"

They turned to look at the screen and noticed the sign hanging there. They all gasped, while Vanellope's eyes only widened. _No, our game can't be out of order! This can't be happening..._

"We're...we're out of order," said Taffyta.

"Our game's gonna be unplugged!" yelled Candlehead, panicking. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Not yet," said Vanellope. "Everyone, don't panic. We might be able to fix things before that happens. Trust me."

* * *

After being refunded by Mr. Litwak, Moppet girl wandered over to _Fix-It Felix Jr._, hoping this one still worked. _Come on, don't do what you did last time_. She entered her quarter, and after the Niceland apartment building was built and the Nicelanders moved in, Wreck-It Ralph appeared on screen.

"I'M GONNA WRECK IT!"

Moppet girl sighed with relief. "At least you're still here."

* * *

In the game, Ralph was wrecking the building while Felix fixed it below him, Q*Bert following Felix and fixing a few things as well. Ralph was careful not to hit the other character. _I wonder how long it'll be before he becomes formally adopted and can regenerate here?_

Ralph was close to the top of the building when he spotted something that made him freeze. An 'Out of Order' sign had been placed upon the screen of _Sugar Rush_. Of course, considering that the game was infected by a virus, Ralph expected it. But it didn't hit home until that moment; unless the virus could be fixed, the game would be unplugged for good – and Vanellope wouldn't have a home.

_She'll have a home here. But there's no racing; she wouldn't be happy_.

"Psst. Ralph." Ralph looked down to find Felix staring up at him, along with all the Nicelanders. "You need to keep wrecking."

"Oh. Right." He smashed up some more bricks and the game continued, but after seeing the sign on Vanellope's game, his heart wasn't really in it and Felix won easily.

After Ralph was tossed into the mud and the game ended, Felix hurried down the building and helped Ralph up. A few curious Nicelanders also arrived to see what was up.

"What happened there, big guy?" Felix asked.

Ralph didn't know what to say, other than, "The sign was placed on Vanellope's game."

Felix's jaw dropped. "Tamora is _not_ going to be happy."

* * *

Calhoun stormed through Game Central Station with her eyes staring straight ahead of her and her boots clanking loudly against the floor. Those who usually saluted her moved out of her way pretty quickly upon seeing the expression on her face.

Felix and Ralph hurried to keep up with her. "Honey, please, slow down!" Felix called to her. "Think about this rationally instead of going in there and blowing things up!"

"Our kid's game is gonna be unplugged; I have a right to be mad. Wouldn't you be?"

"Yes, I'm upset by it," said Felix, "but that does not justify...well, blowing things up."

But Ralph had to agree with Calhoun. "Sorry, buddy, but I'm with her on this one. Things are gonna get wrecked once we get in there." He widened his strides to catch up with the soldier, and Felix let out a worried sigh.

When they reached the _Sugar Rush_ portal, the buzzer went off and Surge Protector appeared. "Name?"

But Ralph just passed straight through him, as did Calhoun. When Felix reached him, he laughed weakly. "Sorry about that. They're...having a bad day." He hurried to catch up with them before the train departed.

When the train pulled into the station in _Sugar Rush_, Vanellope was already waiting for them on the edge of the game. Her expression was one they expected to see; sadness mixed with anger. The train hadn't even come to a stop when Calhoun hopped out, followed closely by Ralph, and Felix tripped over his own feet in an effort to keep up with them.

"All right, young lady, you're putting that crown on and coming with us whether you like it or not," said Calhoun. "I've got some soldiers coming by later to escort your friends to safety as well; they'll have to be quarantined until they can be cured, but they'll be fine in the long run."

Ralph – who had been able to calm himself down when he caught sight of Vanellope – got down on his knee and gentle placed his hand under the girl's chin, lifting it up. "I know this is hard for you. But you can stay with me for as long as you like. It'll be fun. I mean it; everything is going to be OK."

But Vanellope shook her head. "No. You guys don't understand. This virus wasn't an accident."

The others looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?" asked Felix.

Vanellope showed them a note she had been hiding in the pocket of her hoody; Felix took it from her, and the other two looked over his shoulder to see what it said. Their eyes widened at the words.

_Dear Glitch, _

_You better give your crown to me, otherwise your game will be put out of order for good, and your friends will never be cured. _

_Your Enemy, _

_Turbo_


	6. Chapter Five: Problems and Answers

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews!

And since someone mentioned it, I'm updating quickly because the story is pre-written. :)

* * *

Felix and Ralph leapt back when Calhoun took out her gun and it began charging. "When I find that ugly son of a bug, I'll make him regret messing with my baby!"

"Honey!" Felix leapt up and grabbed the gun, lowering it down again. "Calm down. Mama Bear needs to go back into hibernation. Remember; violence isn't always the answer."

Calhoun reluctantly put her gun away; if anyone could talk her out of blowing things up, it was Felix. "Fine. But if I see that ugly bug, I'll shoot him whatever."

Her husband shrugged in agreement. "OK, if he shows his face, I won't stop you."

"Guys, if you're done," said Ralph, "we need to figure out what to do."

Vanellope looked down sadly. "I should just give him my crown. I was OK before. I don't want my friends to suffer."

But Ralph knelt down so he was eye level with her again and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, I'm not letting you give your crown to him. He won't let you run around like last time; he'll lock you up or destroy you for good. And I won't let that happen."

"None of us will," Calhoun agreed.

"But how do we get rid of him?" asked Vanellope.

The trio thought. "We could always lure him out the game?" Calhoun suggested. "Then I came give him a piece of my mind. Better yet; I can lure him into _my_ game."

"Turbo isn't stupid," said Felix. "He would know what we were planning to do."

"We could ask around the other games and see if they have any suggestions?" Ralph suggested. "I've got a Bad-Anon meeting tonight; someone there may be able to help."

"And Surge might come up with something," Felix added. "I'll ask Sonic as well; he knows about this kind of thing."

Calhoun nodded in agreement. "The other bad guys are fond of the kid as well, aren't they?"

"Oh yeah," said Ralph. "An arcade full of bad guys, most of them dangerous in their respective games – all of who like kiddo here as much as I do. Turbo's in deep doodoo if any of them catch him."

Vanellope burst out laughing. "You said 'doodoo'!"

Ralph smiled. _At least I got her laughing again_.

* * *

The Bad-Anon meeting opened, and after Bowser opened up about his true feelings for Princess Peach and received suggestions on what he should do about it, Ralph took his turn to speak.

"There's a virus in _Sugar Rush_."

The other villains gasped as much as they did before, when Ralph had told them he didn't want to be the bad guy anymore. Bowser spat out his coffee, complete with a couple balls of flame, and Clyde turned blue.

"Can anything be done?" asked Zangief.

Ralph shook his head. "That's why I'm here."

"Where did it even come from?" asked Kano. "We haven't had a virus in the arcade in years!"

"That's the bad part," said Ralph. "It wasn't an accident. Do you know that rule, about how characters can be formally adopted into another game? So they can regenerate in that game?" The others nodded. "Well, I think the same thing happened to Turbo. He's alive."

Everyone's eyes widened. "He's alive?" Clyde gasped.

"Yeah, and he put the virus in the game so he could get the crown back," Ralph explained. "He sent a note to Vanellope, telling her that unless she gives the crown to him, the game will go offline and her friends affected by the virus will never get better."

More gasps echoed around the room, and in rage, Zombie stood up and threw his two axes across the room. "Zombie! Eat Turbo!"

"I'd point you in the right direction if I knew where he was," said Ralph. "I was hoping you guys might have any suggestions; how do you cure a virus?"

But the others looked around blankly. "We don't know," said Zangief. "It's not in our area to know."

"The last game that caught a virus was unplugged," said Bowser. "And we all know what happens when games are unplugged."

Everyone nodded sadly.

"Those outside humans," said Kano. "They never fix the problems; just throw them away."

Ralph didn't know what to say. _So there's no way the game can be saved? What am I going to tell Vanellope?_ There was always the option of letting the game be unplugged, taking Turbo with it and getting rid of him once and for all.

_But how can I do that to Vanellope? And who's to say Turbo won't escape?_

After they recited the Bad Guy Affirmation, the meeting came to an end and the other bad guys began to leave. Ralph waited so he was last to leave the room, not wanting to talk to anyone else, but then Clyde hovered over to him.

"Ralph, can I have a word?"

Ralph just wanted to be alone for a bit, but he didn't want to be rude so sat back down again. "What is it, Clyde?"

"There may be someone who can help you."

Ralph immediately sat upright at this. "Someone who can help? Why didn't you mention this in the meeting?"

"This is off the record, Ralph," said Clyde. "And I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, but... You need help, and I think she's the only one who can give you it."

"What do you mean by that?" Ralph titled his head with curiosity.

Clyde looked over at the door to make sure no one else was listening, before hovering in closer. "Turbo wasn't the only one from his game who survived."

Ralph looked at Clyde in shock. "Someone else survived as well? But I thought everyone was wiped out when _Turbo Time_ was unplugged. Then again, I thought Turbo was wiped out, as well."

"She didn't want anyone to know," Clyde explained. "Her game getting unplugged... It traumatized her."

"I can see why," said Ralph. He thought about what he had been told. _Another character alive? But how can that help us get rid of Turbo?_ "Who is it?"

"It's Lightning."

Ralph's eyes lit up with recognition. Lightning had been the second best racer in the game, always second behind Turbo. Despite this, though, she and Turbo had been good friends and had always been seen hanging out together in Game Central Station, with the Turbo twins tagging along behind them.

He realized why Clyde thought she could help. If she had been Turbo's friend, she could try talking some sense into him. Alternatively, if she hated him for getting their game unplugged, she would want to get rid of Turbo as well, and might know how to do this.

"How come I haven't seen her around?"

Clyde rolled his eyes. "Because she's been using a disguise, like Turbo. I know who she is, though."

"Who?"

"Are you familiar with the street racer Lainey Nell from SCF?"


	7. Chapter Six: Reveals and Programmings

Thanks again for reviewing!

* * *

"So Lainey is this really old character from another game in hiding?"

"Yes," said Ralph. He, Vanellope, Felix and Calhoun were boarding the train that would take them into SCF. "When _Turbo Time_ was unplugged, she was able to escape and has been living under the persona of Lainey Nell ever since."

"Well, she must have been hiding _somewhere_ until then," Felix wondered. "It was another fifteen years before SCF was plugged in."

"The kid's game is in danger of being unplugged, and that's the first thing you think of?" Calhoun raised an eyebrow.

Felix chuckled nervously. "I was just curious, is all."

The train was empty tonight, and when the group disembarked, they headed straight for the Family Mansion. When they got there Daughter was already outside with Cousin, watching her two brothers fight.

The four hesitated when they reached them. "Um...shouldn't you be stopping that?" Ralph asked.

"No." Daughter shook her head. "It's fun. And it's not like they'll do any permanent damage to themselves. One of them will die and regenerate, and by that time they've usually forgotten what they were arguing about and make up."

"It looks fun, all right," Vanellope agreed.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Daughter asked curiously.

"It's a long story," explained Ralph, "but to cut the long story short, where can we find Lainey?"

"She should be in her garage," Cousin replied. "It's next to the race track. The one with the large yellow thunderbolt on the door. Can't miss it."

"Thank you," said Felix, and the group moved on. "Ralph, how could you not make the connection before? We both knew the racers; Lightning always dressed in yellow and while, had bolts all over her, and-"

"-and a car named _The Thunderbolt_, I know," said Ralph. He was a little embarrassed that he hadn't been able to make the connection before. "Please stop mentioning that before I crush you. Then use your hammer to heal you. Then crush you again."

Like he usually did, Felix hid behind his wife's legs – but she wasn't paying attention. She was too busy getting her gun ready. "So the plan: we use words to persuade her to help, and if that doesn't work, we tear her car apart until she gives in. And if she still doesn't agree, we blow everything up."

The other three looked at Calhoun with wide eyes. But then Vanellope brightened up. "Cool!"

"I thought you hated it when she acted all "Mummy" around you?" asked Ralph.

"Usually," said Vanellope. "Until she starts blowing stuff up."

Felix chuckled. "That's my dynamite gal for you."

When they arrived at the garage, the group found Lainey adding some updates to her car; she was wearing a mask over he head while wielding something to the rear. Sparks were flying everywhere, and Ralph hand to knock in order to tell the racer they'd arrived.

Upon hearing the knock, Lainey stopped wielding and took her mask off. "Oh, hey guys." She put the wielder down and walked over to them. "What's up? If you want to challenge me to a race, it'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm adding new updates on my car."

"Actually, we need to talk," said Ralph. "I spoke with Clyde, and he told me something...interesting about you."

For a moment, Lainey looked like a deer in the headlights. But then she sighed and face palmed, taking a seat on an upturned bucket. "I knew he'd rat me out one day."

"He didn't rat you out," Felix assured her. He stepped forwards and placed a comforting hand on hers. "And you're not in trouble."

Lainey looked up. "You sure? Because you were the guys who had to deal with...him."

They all knew who she was referring to. "Seriously, you're not in trouble," Ralph repeated Felix's words. "But this does concern Turbo."

"Please don't say his name."

Ralph blinked in surprise. "OK, then." He scratched the back of his head nervously. _Obviously she hasn't gotten over what happened. Either she misses him or is angry at him. This is gonna be harder than I thought_. "Well...we need your help."

Lainey tilted her head with confusion. "Help? With what?"

"You-Know-Who has regenerated," said Calhoun.

Lainey's eyes widened. "He regenerated?"

"And he's spread a virus in my game," Vanellope explained. "He won't cure anyone unless I give him my crown. And if the others don't get cured, then my game will be unplugged for good."

The older racer looked away, deep in thought. She closed her eyes and pulled her hand away from Felix's. "And what do you want me to do about it?"

It was said in a way that meant the racer didn't want to help, and Calhoun felt her anger growing. "I don't know," said Calhoun bitterly. "Talk to him? Stop him? You know him better than anyone here."

"And that's why I can't help you." She stood up and turned her back on them, walking over to her car to continue with the updates.

Calhoun prepared her gun. "My kid's game is getting unplugged because of that son of a bug, and you're gonna help us if I have to force you to!" She took aim at the car, but Felix grabbed the gun and prevented her from shooting.

"Dear, anger management, remember?" he told her. "You can't use anger to fight your battles."

"Unless those battles are against man-eating bugs."

"Yes, unless those battles are against man-eating bugs," said Felix.

Vanellope looked between them all in panic. "So that's it, then? You won't help?"

Lainey didn't answer. Ralph felt his anger growing, and he looked down at his fists. _These things were programmed to wreck, and that's what they're gonna do_. With a growl, he brought them down upon the bonnet of the car, and the car's alarm went off.

The racer leapt back with shock. "What did you do that-" But she froze mid-sentence when she saw the expression upon Ralph's face. _Holy- Talk about the source of all nightmares_.

Ralph took in deep breaths to calm himself down. "Look, I know what happened must have traumatized you. I don't blame you; what happened that day was horrible."

"Not as horrible as a bug attack," said Calhoun.

"Actually, it was," Felix mentioned. "It was the first time a game was ever unplugged. No one knew what was happening. And when we realized what happened to those trapped inside the games..." He shuddered.

Lainey looked away, before reaching for something that was strapped to her wrist. She pressed a button, and her tall form flickered to become smaller. Stood before them was the familiar Lightning, wearing a racing suit which matched Turbo's, only hers was yellow and white with a lightning bolt on the helmet. Her face was a peachy-yellow, and blonde curly hair hung out from under her helmet.

She closed her blue eyes and sighed. "He's right. It was horrible that day...watching everyone I knew meet their fate..."

"Then you must understand that we can't let that happen to Vanellope's game," Ralph explained. "I really don't blame you for not getting involved, but if you have any information, _anything_ at all that can help, please tell us."

Lightning was silent for a long time, genuinely thinking over everything she knew about Turbo and her old game, before sighing. "His jealousy isn't really jealousy. It's a programming fault."

"A programming fault?" Ralph questioned.

She nodded. "The programmers who made our game programmed Turbo to be the best of the best no matter what. So when the new game showed up, his programming got the best of him, took control, and made him do what he did. It overtook him."

This made the others think. "So maybe we can try and remove this programming from him," Felix suggested.

"It's worth a shot," said Calhoun.

Ralph turned to Lighting. "Thanks."

But she didn't say another word as she activated her persona and turned back to her car.


	8. Chapter Seven: Kills and Guilts

Again, a big thank you to those who have taken the time to review!

And now for a sad chapter...if the title didn't give that away...

* * *

On the train back to _Sugar Rush_, the four bounced ideas back and forwards about how they could reprogram Turbo. "I could tell him to meet me in Diet Cola Mountain, saying I'm gonna give my crown to him?" Vanellope suggested. "The you guys can pin him down."

"That'll put you at risk," said Ralph. "And that's one risk I won't make."

"Agreed," said Calhoun. "But do any of you know how to reprogram someone?"

Ralph and Felix exchange confused glances. "We only know how to change levels, add new ones, and so on. That's how we were able to include Q*Bert and his friends into our game."

"And I was able to change my game so that players can choose from _all_ the racers instead of just nine," Vanellope explained. "But changing a character's programming? Has anyone even done that before?"

Ralph shook his head. "Not that I know of. But we have to try."

The train pulled into the station, but when they climbed out and made their way towards the race track, the group realized there was something wrong. Calhoun placed an arm in front of the others to prevent them from going further before taking out her gun.

"Someone's coming."

They waited anxiously for a few moments...before Rancis appeared, looking a lot worse than he did before. He was stumbling along the path towards them, and when he finally got close enough he allowed himself to collapse.

Vanellope took off her crown and hurried over to him. "What happened?"

"The...the...pony..." said Rancis between breaths. "It's...really a...Trojan Horse...took...Candlehead..." He passed out before he could continue.

Calhoun placed her helmet cover down and gently picked him up. "We gotta get to the race track. I knew that horse looked suspicious!" She held her gun at the ready before taking off at a run. The others followed.

When they reached the racing track, the sweet inhabitants had scattered and were screaming in terror. The stands had been trashed, the finish line was ruined, and the many karts belonging to the racers had been broken into pieces.

The racers themselves were hiding behind bits of the carnage, trembling with fear while also holding their stomachs in pain. Like Rancis, they looked worse off than before.

Vanellope hurried over to where Taffyta and Creumbelina were hiding, glitching as she went. "Where's Candlehead?"

Taffyta just burst out crying and buried her face into her hands, while Creumbelina held her friend in an effort to comfort her. "The Trojan Horse took her to the castle. Something about rewriting codes."

The moment she heard this, Calhoun carefully placed Rancis with the other racers before she whipped out her surfboard-like cruiser and hopped on, grabbing Felix as she did and taking off at lightning speed towards the castle. After witnessing this Ralph salvaged a kart which was still in decent condition and hopped on.

"Wait for me, Ralph!" Vanellope hopped inside as well, and knowing there was no time for an argument, Ralph let her tag along.

Using his large arms, he pushed the kart along the road leading to the castle, gaining speed as he went.

* * *

When Ralph and Vanellope arrived, Calhoun and Felix were already there stood outside the large doors. There were scorch marks where the soldier had tried to break in.

"It's no use," she explained. "_Someone_ thought he could break in himself, but ended up making the door _ten times stronger_." She turned and glared at Felix.

He shifted nervously under her gaze. "I was caught up in the moment." He turned to Ralph. "You think you can wreck it? I know it's a lot stronger now, but-"

CRASH! Ralph didn't waste time, and the doors were off their hinges within seconds.

The others stared at his handy-work with wide eyes. "-that...apparently doesn't make a difference for you."

"That was awesome, Ralph!" Vanellope leapt up into his arms to give him a hug.

But Ralph put her down. "We don't have time for that. Come on!"

They hurried through the many hallways of the castle, looking for any signs of Candlehead and the Trojan Horse, until finally Vanellope heard a scream coming from where the game's codes were stored. It was Candlehead. "She's down this way! Come on!"

She lead the way down the stairs and into the deepest parts of the castle, and upon reaching the bottom, they skidded to a halt.

The Trojan Horse was trying the break into the room which held all the codes for the game, and tied up next to him was Candlehead. "Vanellope!" she cried, but this made the Trojan Horse turn around and spot them.

Calhoun held up her gun while Ralph got his fists ready. But the Horse just put his face next to Candlehead. "Don't move, or I'll bite her. And you know what happens when you get bitten a second time by me."

Ralph and Felix froze, while Calhoun and Vanellope looked confused. "What?" asked the soldier.

"It's game over," said the Horse. "No regeneration, no extra lives. It's the end."

Calhoun lowered her gun.

"Have you come to get the crown?" Vanellope asked. "Well, you can take it. I won't let you do that to my friend."

Ralph's eyes widened. "Vanellope, no. You can't do this."

Candlehead then began coughing, trying to say something. "No...she can't...I won't...let her..." Then, with the very little strength she had left, she shoved her arm into the Horse's mouth and used her other hand to hit his head.

The Trojan Horse bit down on her, and Candlehead cried out in pain.

"Candlehead!" Vanellope cried.

Calhoun took this as her cue to start shooting, and the Horse avoided the bullets with expert skill before leaping over their heads and escaping up the stairs. Calhoun took off after it while Vanellope hurried over to her fallen friend's side.

"Candlehead..." Vanellope laid her friend's head upon her lap. "Why did you do that?"

The racer coughed some more. "It was...my fault...we got...infected..."

"No, it wasn't." Vanellope turned to Felix. "Can you fix her?"

But Felix shook his head. "I'm sorry, Vanellope. This is one thing I can't fix."

Candlehead started to glitched dramatically, gradually disappearing into nothing. "You're the...true ruler of..._Sugar Rush_, Vanellope...and don't let...anything...change that..."

And she was gone.

* * *

"Why did you _do_ that?!"

"It wasn't _my_ fault," Troy explained. "The little brat made me do it. Those racers are loyal to her – a lot more loyal than I thought."

Turbo – in his King Candy form – growled in anger. "I only want to get rid of Vanellope! And I _don't_ want to do it at the cost of the other racers! Do you understand? I don't want any of them hurt more than they are now!"

Troy blinked in surprise. "You don't want them hurt? Why, I wonder?"

Turbo flickered back into his true form and turned away. "That's none of your business."

"I think I know," said the Horse. "It's because you feel guilty about what happened to your game. All those innocent racers lost, because of _you_."

"Shut up!" Turbo changed back into his King Candy persona and lashed out at Troy. "That's not true at all!"

"Oh, it _is_." The Horse began to trot around him, circling him in an intimidating manner. "Remember, I'm a virus. I can get into almost anything, including the minds of those around me. I can see the guilt within you. Especially concerning a racer called...Lightning, is it?"

"Shut up and shut up! She turned against me! Why would I feel guilty over _her?!_" Turbo stormed away and went to sit by the Hot Springs in the centre of the Mountain, allowing himself to calm down and turn back into his original form.

He hated Troy for destroying Candlehead, and he hated Troy for his taunting. But most of all, he hated Troy for being _right_.


	9. Chapter Eight: Friends and Tears

Thanks for the reviews!

Another depressing chapter...

* * *

After Candlehead disappeared into nothing Vanellope was silent, but when it sunk in that her friend and fellow racer was never regenerating _ever_, the girl broke down in tears.

Ralph hadn't seen her this way since he had broken her kart; he knelt down, and not knowing what else to go, he picked her up and pressed her lightly against his chest in a comforting hug, his hands almost covering her completely. She clung to him tightly.

"It's going to be OK," he whispered in her ear. "Just hang in there." He turned to Felix and motioned for him to go up the stairs first, which he did. Ralph followed after, and when they got outside, Calhoun was waiting for them.

"That Horse-Bug got away," she told them. Then noticing Vanellope, her face softened. "Poor kid. Do you want me to take her?"

A protective part of Ralph wanted to keep Vanellope to himself; to shelter her in his arms and let nothing else hurt her. But then he realized there was something he had to do, and he didn't want to bring Vanellope along with him.

He passed her over to Calhoun with reluctance. Vanellope herself was also reluctant to let Ralph go, but she did eventually and clung to Calhoun instead. "Stay here with her, and make sure that Horse doesn't attack her or the other racers again."

"That thing won't get within ten metres of any of them," said Calhoun, taking out her gun while one hand while holding Vanellope close to her with the other. "I can assure you of that."

Felix nodded firmly in agreement.

Ralph looked at Calhoun holding the large gun and Vanellope. _That reminds me of an image from the outside world..._ But he shook his head before heading towards the entrance to the game.

* * *

When the train arrived in SCF Ralph didn't even wait for it to stop before leaping out onto the platform. He hurried straight to Lainey's garage, and upon arriving, he found that the racer had finished with her updates and was polishing the bonnet of her car.

Upon closer inspection he noticed that she hadn't even bothered to fix the dent he had made; she had also only polished one spot, which was as clean as it could get. Lainey herself was just staring off into space.

She jumped when she turned and saw him standing in the doorway. "Back so soon?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, you're coming to help us. _Now_."

Lainey just stared at him in shock. "I told you that I can't. You don't understand."

"No, _you_ don't understand just how _serious_ this is," Ralph explained. "My best friend – my _little sister_ – has lived most of her life thinking she was a mistake, all because _Turbo_ got into her game and changed the codes to put himself on top. And now she _finally_ has her rightful place back. But wait; that's about to be taken away from her because _Turbo_ has unleashed a virus into her game which has not only infected all of her friends, but has _eliminated one for good_. So even after all this, why won't you help us? _Why?_"

Only then did he realize that Lainey had burst into tears.

His anger faded, and he found himself going over to her and placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. Lainey wiped away her tears and sat on her bucket like the last time, before she once again pressed the button on the device that was strapped to her wrist, and she changed into her true form.

"You remember what I told you about Turbo's programming?"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah."

"Well..." Lightning paused for a moment, then sighed. "When that new game first arrived, I was able to convince Turbo not to worry. He was still the best in his game. He accepted this – until he was challenged by the lead racer of the new game to a race."

"I imagine that didn't go so well."

Lightning nodded. "He lost. And that's when his faulty programming kicked in; he became determined to be _the best_ and invaded the other game, ruining both of them. The programming... It changed him. It consumed him completely until there was nothing left of the _old_ Turbo. When the 'Out of Order' signs were placed on both games..." She began taking in deep breaths, the tears welling up in her eyes.

Ralph placed a comforting hand around her. "Just let it out."

She bit her lip in an attempt to hold back her tears and continued. "When the signs were placed on both games, I knew enough was enough and decided to confront him. I tried to reason with him; I tried to call out to the old Turbo that I knew was still in there somewhere. But he didn't listen; he called me a traitor and...denounced our friendship."

Remembering back to what happened between him and Vanellope, Ralph felt her pain. It had hurt him when he had forced himself to wreck the kart they had built together, but it had hurt more when she burst into tears and told him he really was a bad guy. Afterwards, however, they had been able to make up pretty quickly.

"You didn't try to make up with him?" he asked.

Lightning just stared up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "Our friendship was different than the one you have with Vanellope. The friendship Turbo and I had was _programmed_ into us. Nothing could go against it. But this was overridden by Turbo's programming to be the best, and when he denounced our friendship it went against _my_ programming. And it hurt. It hurt me _so much_. I...I wanted to leave my game and allow myself to be killed, so I could never regenerate again."

Ralph didn't know what to say. _That's how strong a programmed friendship is? Turbo's other programming must have been __really__ faulty if it could override that_.

The racer wiped her tears away. "I didn't know what to do or where to go. Eventually I found myself in _Tapper_ draining away my pain. I didn't bother to go back to my game when the arcade opened; Turbo had already ruined it. That was how I escaped it being unplugged. After that I laid low for years in the station until SCF was plugged in."

"So you didn't know Turbo had survived as well?" Ralph asked.

She shook her head. "And even if I did, I would never have revealed myself to him. He hurt me too much." She looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact with him. "That's why I can't help. I can't face him again. Not after everything that happened."

"You could go as 'Lainey Nell'?"

"That only works in this game," Lightning explained. "If I ever left, I'd changed back into my true form automatically. And even if I didn't he'd still recognize me. Yellow and white, and all."

"What are you afraid of?" Ralph asked.

"I...I just...he... I don't know." She sighed. "I've accepted that I'll never see my friend again. It just hurts still, and I don't know why."

Ralph thought about this for a moment. "But if you've accepted this, he can't hurt you anymore."

Lightning turned to face him. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Ralph explained, "you need to confront him and tell him that you've accepted those things. Maybe that's why it still hurts; you're not finished with him."

"So you're saying that if I confront him, I'll be able to move on?"

Ralph shrugged. "It's up to you what you decide. But you can't just hang around here and feel miserable about something _he_ did." He stood up and headed towards the door. "No if you excuse me, I have other problems to deal with."

Lightning just watched him go, uncertain of what she should do.

* * *

Ralph arrived back into _Sugar Rush_ feeling both accomplished and worried. He had given Lightning advice on what she should do...but there was still the problem of Turbo himself and the virus he had unleashed upon the game.

He wandered back to the race track...but when he got there, Calhoun was lying dazed on the ground with Felix bent over her.

And Vanellope was nowhere in sight.

Ralph charged over to them, and when Felix saw him coming, he looked terrified. "Where is she?!"

Felix knew exactly who he was referring to, and bowed his head.

"They took her."


	10. Chapter Nine: Sacrifices and Returns

We're coming into the climax, people. Thank you to all those who reviewed!

* * *

Ralph froze, and it was like his whole world had collapsed around him. His worst nightmare had come true. Vanellope – his little sister – had been taken, and was now in mortal danger. Worst of all, it was _Turbo_ who had taken her, along with the help of a virus that could kill the girl with two bites.

"What happened?!" he demanded.

"When you left, Vanellope wanted to avenge Candlehead," Felix explained. "We wouldn't let her go, but...she glitched. By the time we found her Turbo and that Horse had seized her. My dynamite gal tried to fight back, but she was knocked out by a giant gumball."

Calhoun finally seemed to come round, and upon seeing Ralph, realized how much time must have passed. "They took her... They took my baby! I'LL KILL THEM!" She grabbed her gun and immediately scrambled to her feet, only for the dizziness to overcome her once again. She stumbled, and Felix helped support her.

"Take it easy, honey," he told her. "And you can't go after her anyway."

"Why not?"

Felix looked down sadly. "Before they left, they told me that unless Ralph went to Diet Cola Mountain, Vanellope would be eliminated. _Permanently_." He turned to Ralph. "They also made it clear they would do this also if you brought along anyone else – or if we attempted a rescue. I think you need to go, Ralph."

Ralph knew that his friend was right. They couldn't risk Vanellope's safety. After helping his wife to sit down, Felix walked over to Ralph and stood nervously in front of him, unsure what to say. But instead he just hugged him, and although Ralph was uncertain at first, he hugged back.

"So long, brother," said Felix, pulling away again.

The taller character didn't question why Felix had done this. He had a feeling that he was about to meet his end, for that was what Turbo most likely wanted. And he would do it if it meant saving Vanellope.

* * *

Ralph arrived in the Mountain and took in the familiar scene. He remembered back to when he had been trying to teach Vanellope how to drive – and then later, when he had almost sacrificed himself in order to save her.

_Looks like I'll be doing that for real this time_. He sighed. This would mean the end for his game...but he couldn't let Vanellope be killed.

"All right, Turbo. I'm here," he announced.

From out of the shadows, the familiar red and white racer appeared. Upon seeing Ralph, he glitched and became King Candy, which surprised Ralph. "I knew you would come. You would do _anything_ for you little friend, won't you?"

Behind him the Horse appeared, pushing a tied up Vanellope in front of him. Ralph wondered why she didn't just glitch to escape, but then saw the crown upon her head and realized why. To his horror, he also realized that with her crown on, the virus could affect her – meaning that the threat was real.

"Leave her there, Troy." Turbo then turned back to Ralph. "Our little glitch here has agreed to give the crown to me so that her friends can be healed. That's her debt owed to me; time to pay yours. You will go outside and climb to the top of this Mountain, and when you reach the crater, you will throw yourself into the Hot Springs." Vanellope gasped. "But if you refuse, your precious Vanellope will be eliminated for good."

Ralph looked up at the crater, then at the Hot Springs, then back at Vanellope. He saw her innocent face and knew he had to save her. "What will happen to her?"

"She'll live. That should be good enough for you."

Vanellope struggled against her bonds. "Don't do it, Ralph!"

But Ralph closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't let you die, kid." He turned and left the hideout, and once outside, he climbed up the Mountain with astonishing speed. Once he reached the top, he peered into the crater – the crater he had left behind during his last misadventure.

He saw Turbo and Troy standing on either side of Vanellope. The girl's eyes were welling up with tears as she watched her friend, and Ralph sent her a sad smile. "I'm sorry it had to end this way."

And with that, he jumped.

But no sooner had he done so the sound of an engine was heard, and as Ralph fell, a yellow and white car zoomed through the air off the broken track. It caught Ralph mid-fall, and when he saw the familiar face behind the wheel, he smiled.

The car landed perfectly on the other side and came to a halt in front of Turbo. The door opened, and after a moment hesitation, Lightning stepped out of the car and looked Turbo dead in the eyes.

"I'm here to bring Turbo Time to an end."

Turbo's eyes widened, and he glitched back into his true form as his jaw dropped. "LIGHTNING?!"

"Yes, I'm alive." She looked him up and down. "And apparently you are, too. Boy, have you fallen far."

The shock wore off, and Turbo's face became full of rage as he switched back into his King Candy persona. "I said no rescues, which means Vanellope gets it!"

Ralph's face filled with horror. "NO!"

But during the confrontation, Vanellope had been able to throw the crown from her head, and when she realized what was about to happen, she screwed her eyes shut. "Glitch, glitch, GLITCH!"

And she did. The ropes which bound her fell uselessly to the ground as she appeared next to Ralph. Troy, noticing the crown upon the ground, leapt for it...but Ralph only had to reach over in order to grab it. "I don't think that belongs to you." He and Vanellope fist bumped.

Turbo's anger was boiling over, and looking between the three, he finally settled upon taking said anger out on Lightning. "You! You traitor! You're turning against me again?!"

"Excuse me, but I'm not the one who ruined their own game." Lightning winked, before hopping back into her car and driving away.

"You forget that _I_ was the number one racer while _you_ were only number two! I'll catch you easily!" He disappeared into the shadows, before re-emerging in his old red and white car. He put his foot down and took off after her.

Troy turned to look at Ralph and Vanellope. The two friends exchanged glances...before pulling funny faces at the Horse.

He snorted in anger. "Don't think this means you're off the hook!" He charged, and Ralph grabbed Vanellope before leaping out the way. Troy skidded to a halt and turned to charge again.

"Ralph! I have a kart hidden over there!" She pointed to a shadowy area, and when Troy charged, Ralph leapt again and landed in the dark. The two reappeared again in the kart, and Ralph used his large hands to propel them along and out of the Mountain.

Troy gave chase, his eyes dangerously red while he continued to snort in anger.

"Keep going, Ralph! Keep going!" Vanellope urged.

"I know, I know!" said Ralph. "I'll try and lead him towards the others. Then we can gang up on him."

* * *

Back at the race track, Felix and Calhoun were trying to convince the other racers to abandon the game. It was nearly opening time, which meant that there was a good chance of the game being unplugged. But the racers kept on shaking their heads.

"We're not leaving without Vanellope," Taffyta insisted.

Rancis coughed. "And we'll affect the other games. We can't do that."

"A good character always goes down with their game," Creumbelina insisted. She supported Taffyta as the other girl could barely raise her head.

Felix and Calhoun exchanged worried glances. They had yet to tell the racers about what had happened.

And they didn't need to. Ralph and Vanellope arrived on the scene, panting for breath with worry in their faces. "Get the other racers to safety! Now!" Ralph ordered.

Felix looked confused. "Why?" At that moment Troy appeared, looking more like a monster than a horse. He whinnied, reared up, and charged. "Oh, that's why."

Calhoun immediately took out her gun and started shooting. Troy however was able to dodge the bullets, and realizing that Calhoun was about to get knocked down, Ralph hurried to her aid.

Then in one swift movement, Troy brought his front hooves down upon Calhoun, before bucking and using his rear horns to knock Ralph backwards. Both had the wind knocked out of them and while Calhoun collapsed, Ralph was sent flying.

"RALPH!"

"TAMORA!"


	11. Chapter Ten: Fights and Confrontations

And now things will take a turn. ;) Er...apologies if Turbo is OOC.

Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews!

* * *

Lightning knew that Turbo was gaining, but she had to get him as far away as possible from the others. _Just a bit further..._ Suddenly Turbo sped up alongside her and was able to knock the car sideways, causing it to spin. Lightning tried to regain control of the car but it was no use; the car crashed into a candy tree, sending her flying.

She landed with a thud, and rolled a few metres before skidding to a stop. Opening the eyes she hadn't realized she'd closed, the racer saw Turbo pull over and get out of his car, striding over to her with a glare that could kill. _He really looks creepy in that old man guise_.

Turbo paused a few feet away from her. "After all these years, why now? Why do you show yourself to me now?"

Swallowing her fear, Lightning got to her feet and faced him with a glare as brutal as his own. "Because of _you_. Everything I suffered, everything I went through was because of _you_."

Turbo looked surprised by this. "Me? What did I ever do to you?"

The anger that had built up inside of her was unleashed, and she crossed the space between them before giving him a hard shove. "You _destroyed_ our game for a start! And then, when I tried to call you out on what you had become – what your programming had turned you into – you called me a traitor and denounced the one thing that was important to me: our friendship."

Turbo just stared at her, not saying a word.

"Do you even remember what that word _means?_" Lightning yelled at him. "That friendship we had was in our _programming_. And when you rejected it – when you rejected _me_ – it went against everything I had been made for. How do you think that feels? I can tell you; it _hurts_. It hurt me _so much_ that I wanted to _die_ so the pain would go away. I hid in the shadows, unable to show myself and unable to face anyone because of what _you did_; because I was in too much pain and too afraid to face it. But now I'm facing it – I'm facing _you_. And I have only one thing to say."

She leaned in so her face was inches away from his, and Turbo was almost afraid of what she was going to do.

"I am still Turbo's friend."

Turbo blinked in surprise... then it sunk in, and his jaw dropped. "What?"

"I am still Turbo's friend," she repeated. "It hurt for so many years because I thought it was wrong. But it wasn't; after all, it's in my programming. What _is_ wrong, however, is _you_. You're not Turbo. To me, Turbo is non-existent, and all that's left of him is a selfish _program_ which throws a tantrum whenever it can't get its own way."

Turbo just stared at Lightning, unable to say a word. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from her. _After all these years..._

A series of cries were heard, and Lightning turned to look at the finish line in the distance. _They need my help_. She turned back to Turbo. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go make sure this doesn't become the _third_ game you've ruined." She walked back over to her car, climbed inside and drove away at top speed.

Turbo just watched her go, making no move to follow.

* * *

Felix tried to use his hammer to make his friend and wife better, but nothing happened. They were alive; that much he knew because they were still there. But the hammer was having no effect on them.

"Don't bother," Troy told him. "Your silly hammer can't fix what a virus causes."

Felix looked at him...and upon his face was an expression Vanellope had only seen once – when Taffyta had almost run her off the road by accident. It was an expression she thought wasn't possible for someone like Felix to accomplish, but then she guessed that when loved ones were in danger, anything could happen.

The hero stood up and strode over to the Horse in anger. "I am going to fix you right up! And it _won't be pretty!_"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Oh, please." He only used a single leg to swat Felix away, and Vanellope gasped from where she was kneeling by Ralph's side. "Who's next, then?"

The wind was knocked out of him by the suddenly arrival of Lightning, who drove her car straight into him and ran him over. She leaned out of the window. "I am."

Troy got to his feet and charged. Lightning put her foot down and drove at him again, but without the element of surprise this time, she wasn't so lucky. Troy leapt over the car, and with his hind legs, gave the back of it a good kick. The car flipped over several times before coming to a halt upside down.

Lightning was able to crawl out of the wreckage, dizzy from her little spin, and found herself getting knocked over again by Troy. He placed a hoof on her back in order to keep her pinned to the ground. "I'm surprised _you_ showed up after all this time."

"How do you know who I am?" Lightning asked, struggling against him.

"Turbo was always thinking about you," Troy explained. "He didn't like to show it, but he felt guilty about what he did to you and the rest of his friends. Pathetic, really. It's a weakness that prevents him from doing what's necessary."

Lightning was surprised by this revelation. _Is my friend really in there somewhere, deep down?_

"I wouldn't count on it," said Troy, having heard her thoughts. He placed his foot harder on his back, making her cry out.

With nothing left to lose and nothing else to try, Lightning found herself crying for her friend.

"TURBO!"

* * *

The name was carried across the game, all the way to where Turbo still remained, not moving and still in his King Candy form. The call entered his ears, and recognizing the voice, his eyes widened with worry. _Worry_.

For as that scream entered his system, something happened inside of him. Part of his programming, hidden deep down but still alive, suddenly burst into life and began to override the programming he had lived with for so long. His instincts were changed, his reactions, his thoughts, his emotions...all changed back to the way they were before, and the programming code that made him want to win was buried deep within him, never to see the light of day again.

The scream he had heard finally registered, and his eyes – now changed into a bright blue – widened even further.

* * *

Unaware this had happened, Troy continued to enjoy torturing Lightning. "Do you really think he'll come and help you? That programming inside of him is too powerful. It would have to take something equally as powerful to override that."

Lightning looked away sadly. Their friendship programming hadn't been strong enough before, and she didn't expect it to be strong enough now.

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Troy smirked. "I can sense the pain in you. It's been there for all these years. Why don't I put you out of your misery?" He leaned in to bite her.

"Get away from her, you SON OF A MARE!"

A car crashed into him, like Lightning's had done before, only this one was red and white.

"What is it about you racers and running people over with their cars?" Troy picked himself up...and froze when he saw who was driving.

Turbo stepped out of the car, changed back into his true form, and glared down at Troy with a burning anger the Horse had never seen before. "I suggest you leave my friend alone and get out this game with that tail between your legs."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "So, your programming was overridden."

"Yes," said Turbo. He walked straight up to Troy, the anger never leaving his face. "And I'm sorry to inform you that it's Turbo Time." He punched Troy in the face and sent him flying. "By the way, _that's_ for Candlehead."

The Horse picked himself up, smirking. "Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?" In a flash he turned and kicked Turbo away using his hind legs.

Turbo was sent flying and landed next to Lightning, who was instantly by his side. "That's not...Turbo-tastic..." he muttered, before collapsing into her lap.

"It's a pity I'll have to destroy you," Troy continued. "I really should be thanking you for getting me into the arcade. Once I'm done with this game, I'll move on to the next, and soon, _all_ of the games will be unplugged _for good_. _Nothing_ will be able to stop me."

"Really? Nothing?" Lightning asked. "Come on, _something_ must be able to stop you."

Troy thought about this. "Now that I think about it, apart from anti-virus software, the only thing that has ever been able to stop a Trojan Horse was an unstoppable rage."

"Good. That's the one thing I happen to be _very_ good at. _Especially_ when you threaten my little sister."

Eyes wide, Troy turned around...and the last thing he saw was Ralph's angry face before he was pounded into the ground.


	12. Epilogue: Apologies and Endings

And now we've reached the final chapter. A HUGE thank you to all those who have taken the time to read, review, fav and alert this story! I never expected it would get this much feedback! :D

I may write more _Wreck-It Ralph_ stuff in the future. I have two ideas; the first is a prequel to this story, telling the full tale of what happened between Turbo and Lightning when the former went "Turbo". Not sure about it yet; if anyone wants to read it, please say so in your review.

The second is another story not linked with this one at all. It's only rough in my head at the moment, but I like the idea of it, so I'll be writing it at some point in the future.

Again, a big thank you to everyone who has stuck around for this story, and I hope you all like the ending! :D

* * *

What was left of Troy disappeared, and with his destruction, the other racers were immediately healed, as were those who had been knocked down in the fight. But to Vanellope's disappointment, Candlehead didn't reappear. Ralph just walked back over to her and gave her a hug.

Turbo sat up, giving his helmet a rub where he had hit his head. "Whew. Glad he's gone."

All eyes turned on him – eyes that were on fire with rage. Calhoun took out her gun, fired several shots in the air before charging, everyone else following her example. With a cry of horror Turbo leapt behind Lightning, who stood in front of the oncoming mob with no fear.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" she yelled. Everyone came to a halt in front of her. "Whoa. That was uncalled for. I know you're all very angry with him, but we need to do this "extracting revenge" business a little cleaner. How many of you are there?" She counted them all, including the racers, and when she was done she turned to Turbo...and gave him the same amount of punches.

The others stared at her in confusion once she was done. "What was that all about?" asked Felix.

"That's how you give payback more cleanly," Lightning explained. "As some of you would have obviously gone overboard." She looked at Calhoun, who gave an aggravated sigh before putting her large gun away.

Turbo – who had been knocked to the ground by the last punch – stood up again, holding his nose in pain. "Yeah, I really deserved that. Feel free to punch me whenever you feel like it; looking back on everything, _I_ can't believe I did that. Seriously, what was I thinking?"

"You weren't thinking at all," Lightning replied. "Your faulty programming took control. In my eyes, that's the thing to blame; you didn't do all those things, the programming did."

"I still should have fought back harder, and I'm really, really, _really_ sorry that I didn't," said the racer. "I was weak."

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And a bad friend."

Vanellope stepped forwards. "And?"

"And an evil dictator."

Felix got in on the act. "And?"

"And a bad example to all the other characters in the arcade."

Calhoun joined her husband. "And?"

"And a...son of a bug."

Ralph couldn't resist. "And?"

Turbo had to think extra hard about the next one. "And a...selfish diaper baby?" Then looking at the other racers, he added, "Please don't join in, I've run out of answers."

"I think you're off the hook," said Lightning. "Just make sure you _listen_ to me next time when I tell you you're turning into a psychopathic, tantrum-throwing moron. And if you don't, I'll clobber you one."

The racer shrugged in agreement. "Just like old times then. But where do I go now? I can't leave this game because I keep glitching all over the place. And even if I could, I wouldn't exactly get a warm welcome."

"Well, now that I think about it," Vanellope spoke up, "this game needs a bad guy. It's a little too sugar-coated for my tastes at the moment."

Turbo thought about the suggestion. "How about this?" He concentrated, and was able to glitch back into his King Candy persona; but instead of the royal colours, his clothes were a sickly green, and his hair was a darker grey than usual. "The fallen racer Sproutmund McBroccoli?"

Everyone watching exchanged glances...before they burst out laughing. Even Calhoun couldn't resist a chuckle.

Turbo deflated. "Seriously?"

Lightning just patted his shoulder. "They're laughing because they _like_ it. It's a clever play-on-words."

"You are seriously in," said Vanellope, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "You just won't be an avatar character; I'm thinking more along the lines of a fallen evil king trying to take over again by ruining the races. Just don't go overboard, OK?"

"Sounds fair."

"And let me make something clear to you." Calhoun stepped forwards and bent down, so she was eye level with the racer. "If you ever do anything to hurt my baby again, you will wake up in _Hero's Duty_ tied to the beacon that calls in the bugs. And that won't even be the _start_ of it."

Ralph – who came up behind the soldier – banged his fist into the palm of his hand to further drive the point home that there would be a lot of pain to suffer if Vanellope got hurt. Turbo gulped. "Completely and utterly understood."

* * *

When the arcade opened the next morning, Mr. Litwak walked straight over to _Sugar Rush_ to see if the problem had fixed itself. The games had a habit of doing that for some odd reason, and after the _Fix-It Felix Jr._ fiasco, he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the technician again.

He took the sign off the screen and had a look. Things _looked_ all right, but he wouldn't know unless someone played it.

Moppet girl wandered over at that very same moment. "Is the game fixed, Mr. Litwak?"

"I'm not sure," he replied. "Why don't you give it a try?"

The girl shrugged and placed a quarter inside while sitting herself down in the seat. The screen went blank for a moment, before a birds-eye view of the _Sugar Rush_ world was shown.

"_Long ago_," began a voice over, "_the land of Sugar Rush was one of peace and fair racing, lead by the rightful ruler, Princess Vanellope Von Schweetz._" A picture of Vanellope was shown, wearing her pink dress, while the other racers stood before her cheering.

Mr. Litwak frowned. "This isn't right. There was never a back-story before the game." Moppet girl shushed him.

"_But then, the evil dictator King Candy usurped the thrown,_" continued the voice. On screen, King Candy appeared and threw Vanellope out of the castle. Her princess dress was ripped up and her crown was taken. "_He cursed the princess with a glitch, and took away all the memories of her from the other racers._"

The screen showed clips from the years that passed, showing King Candy in all the races and Vanellope being forced to watch sadly from a distance. "_For years he ruled, not allowing Vanellope to race – for if she did, the curse would be broken and she would be the princess once more._"

Again the screen changed, and this time, it showed Vanellope in a tree watching a giant, who was dressed in red and looked suspiciously like Wreck-It Ralph. "_But then one day, a friendly giant came to the land, having left his own country because people thought he was bad. He became friends with Vanellope, and helped her build a kart to race against King Candy. He also helped her find a way to control her glitching curse._"

The race was shown; Vanellope won and became a princess once more. "_The __race was won, and King Candy was banished._" The screen showed King Candy getting dragged away by the two doughnut police officers._ "But when Vanellope became a princess again, she turned it down and became President instead. In doing so she embraced the curse which had been placed upon her, for it gave her an advantage in racing and made her the best racer in the land._"

Several shots were shown of Vanellope using her glitching to an advantage and winning against the other racers. But in one race, a dark car made of vegetables showed up, and evil cackling was heard.

"_But one day King Candy returned, having changed his name to Sproutmund McBroccoli. He vowed his revenge, and kept messing up the races._" Clips were shown of the villain running other racers off the road and causing mayhem. Vanellope turned hopefully to the screen. "_Vanellope needs your help. She and her racers must continue to finish and win their races, otherwise Sproutmund McBroccoli will take over once more and turn the land into a dark, evil empire. And that is not a world anyone would want to live in._"

Moppet girl's excitement was growing. _This game just got a whole lot more awesome_.

Mr. Litwak just looked confused. "That's odd. It's changed again. Maybe those game designers use that wi-fi technology you kids are always talking about. Would certainly explain why it looked broken yesterday. Enjoy yourself, sweetheart." He walked away.

The girl watched the old man go, before turning back to the game. _But wi-fi doesn't work like that. How could this game have been updated overnight?_ In the end she just shrugged it off and chose her racer.


End file.
